Military dog remembered, honored after service

Military Working Dog Chyan, a Belgian malinois, will be laid to rest at a ceremony today in Milford. The dog’s former handler is Brandon Hiller, an Army sergeant from Glenmont, Ohio, and member of the 92nd Police Company. The dog spent its retirement years with priests and nuns in Marine City.
Phillip Weitlauf--For The Macomb Daily

Chyan, the Military Working Dog, lived out his post-Army days with Rev. Stephen Rooney and the Sisters of Our Lady on the River Parish in Marine City. The dog will be buried today at a war dog memorial in Lyon Township.
Rev. Robert Slaton--For The Macomb Daily

Military Working Dog Chyan-D233 will be buried with honors at noon today, Saturday, July 12 at the Michigan War Dog Memorial in Lyon Township near Milford.

Chyan, a Belgian malinois, was born in Germany on May 1, 1999. When he was about two-years-old, he was trained at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas in explosive detention and as a scout, tracker and patrol dog.

“In 2002 he was assigned to Special Operations and from then to 2010 his service records were unattainable,” Philip Weitlauf said.

Weitlauf is a U.S. Army veteran and director of the war dog memorial.

Advertisement

“What we do know is that during this time MWD Chyan was all over Europe. He was in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. At the age of 11 years, Chyan began to slow down and was reassigned to the 92nd Detachment MPs in Bosnia and worked with sergeant Brandon Hiller in security,” Weitlauf said.

Chyan was retired by the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. He was adopted in 2011 by the pastor, Rev. Stephen Rooney, and the Sisters of Our Lady on the River Parish in Marine City.

“This was so fitting for such a brave and heroic military working dog that has been through so much, to live out the rest of his life with an abundance of love and affection in the parish,” Weitlauf said.

Knowing that the dog had stomach cancer, the nuns and priests and staff at the parish threw Chyan a 15th birthday bash with special treats, party favors and a cake made from liver. The dog died on May 5.

“He may no longer walk the grounds at the parish, but will forever live in the hearts of those who cared for him,” Weitlauf said.

Rev. Robert Slaton assists the pastor. He said a woman who places military dogs with families upon their retirement had placed the dog “for two weeks” with the pastor, and he ended up staying.

The priest said Chyan had to keep up tough guy appearances when he first saw someone.

“He was overprotective,” Slaton said. “When he first encountered me, he didn’t trust me. About two weeks into our relationship, the dog jammed his nose into my crotch and he decided we were friends after that.

“He was an old dog but he looked really good, had a nice coat, a little gray around the ankles but in remarkably good shape. He was pretty much all threat but completely harmless. He became comfortable with the fact that he was now a church dog and he liked getting pets and treats, even if he felt the need to bark and growl first. It was kind of his routine to put up a show,” he said.

Chyan spent his days moving around the church offices. Slaton said the dog wanted to play but tired very quickly, and was upset when Marine City had a fireworks display.

“We don’t know exactly what he did do (in the Army) because it was covert stuff. He had his own war wounds. He had his puppy moments where he wanted to play tug-of-war and chase squirrels, but his hips were bad. When the decision was made (to put him down), it was heart-jerking,” he said.

“MWD Chyan was a real four-legged warrior,” Weitlauf said. “Spending eight years in Special Ops was very tough duty. I would love to know what he did and where he was, but his records are sealed.”

Weitlauf said the malinois is the preferred breed of the U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Delta forces because the dogs have similar characteristics to the German shepherd. They are smaller, smooth-coated, and only weigh about 50 pounds.

“They are more suitable for HALO jumps. They are strapped to the soldier’s chest and jump out of airplanes. I believe this is exactly what Chyan did,” he said.

Military Working Dog Memorial Inc. the group that take care of the Michigan War Dog Memorial is made up of veterans, especially those from AMVETS Post 2006, and motorcycle honor guard members of the Michigan Patriot Guard. Other volunteers are lawyers, landscapers and arborists, photographers, and a German shepherd group.

“We are just a band of military veterans and K-9 supporters that came together to offer a resting place with honors for these loyal and brave four-legged warriors. We offer this service at no cost to the handler or owner,” Weitlauf said.

“In 2010 we were told about an abandoned war dog monument at the corner of Milford Road and 11 Mile in Lyon Township. I took my trusted companion Cody, a German shepherd, to take a look. As we arrived, we saw nothing but a heavily wooded area. We parked the car and went for a walk and there it was, a large granite monument with the words ‘The War Dog.’ As we looked around, we could see several headstones buried in the foliage and brush. The site was in horrible shape,” he said.

Weitlauf took up the issue with the Huron Valley AMVETS post. Veterans and community volunteers formed a cleanup detail. They learned the site was set up by the Elkow family in 1936 as Happy Hunting Grounds Pet Cemetery. When news stories broadcast the heroics of dogs during World War II, local residents had raised the money for a monument. The internment of dogs stopped in the 1980s and nature took over. Weitlauf stepped in with restoration efforts.

World War I “ambulance dogs” searched for the wounded. WWII dogs were scouts, trackers, sentries and messengers that may have saved as many as 15,000 human lives. Twenty eight dogs formed a platoon in the Korean War and averted ambushes. In Vietnam, dogs detected explosives and booby traps, saving about 10,000 lives. In Iraq, they detected IEDs and pulled sentry duty at roadside checkpoints. There are about 600 dog-human teams in Afghanistan.

The memorial organization needs donations for a lawn maintenance contract, fencing the cemetery, a parking lot, benches, sidewalks and signs. For more information, see mwdm.org or contact Weitlauf at pweitlauf@gmx.com. Checks can be mailed to: Military Working Dog Memorial, Inc., 542 S. Pleasant Valley Road, Milford MI 48380.